The present disclosure relates broadly and generally to the medical industry, and more particularly to an ergonomic chin support for use in combination with medical headgear. Such headgear is commonly worn by patients during noninvasive ventilation (and pressure support therapies) to locate and secure a patient interface, such as a nasal or nasal/oral ventilation mask. Noninvasive ventilation may be used to administer general anesthesia, and in the treatment of certain medical disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea and congestive heart failure. When under general anesthesia, patients lose consciousness and are not arousable, even by painful stimulation. The ability to independently maintain ventilatory function is often impaired, and many patients require assistance in maintaining a patent airway.
An estimated 20 to 25 million anesthetics are administered annually in the United States. With those administered anesthetics, a large portion of spontaneously breathing, non-intubated patients may experience a loss of upper airway muscle tone allowing the tongue and epiglottis to fall back against the posterior pharyngeal wall causing the airway to obstruct. Current interventions that are carried out by the anesthesia care professional in relieving this type obstruction deems the insertion of an oral airway, nasopharyngeal airway, or a slight extension at the atlanto-occipital joint (chin up). With the insertion of an oral airway, awake or lightly anesthetized patients may cough or even develop a laryngospasm during the airway insertion if the laryngeal reflexes are intact. With the insertion of a nasopharyngeal airway, the risk the patient developing an epitaxis as a result of insertion trauma is increased leading to airway irritation, laryngospasm, or in deeply sedated patient's pulmonary aspiration.
There have been many cases reported of facial nerve damage caused by pressure of the anesthetist's fingers and the ascending ramus of the patient's mandible as a result of forward pressure in attempts to maintain a patent upper airway. Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved, non-invasive treatment method or devices that is effective in maintaining a patent airway, reducing or eliminate intra-operative apneic events, and/or other linked complications. In the exemplary embodiments discussed herein, the present device can be simply applied by the anesthesia care provider without interrupting the surgeon or the procedure, or requiring the help of other operating room personnel. With the exemplary devices of the present disclosure, the anesthetist will have two free hands to chart or perform other needed procedures during the case without having to dedicate one hand to the mandible for a chin-lift intervention. A constant, stable O2 saturation will be maintained as the chest wall moves up and down indicating a patent airway.